Norway is considering building a fence on its 198-kilometer (123 miles) border with Russia to enhance border security and address concerns about potential irregular migration.
Norwegian Minister of Justice Emilie Enger Mehl said the move would follow Finland, which has been building a 200-kilometer (124 miles) fence along critical sections of its Eastern border to curb unauthorized migration since April 2023, scheduled for completion by 2026.
“A border fence is very interesting, not only because it can act as a deterrent but also because it contains sensors and technology that allow you to detect if people are moving close to the border,” Mehl said in an interview with the Norwegian public broadcaster NRK last Saturday.
The specifics of the plan are not yet clear, such as whether the whole or parts of the border will be fenced.
According to Mehl, constructing barriers is an expensive investment, so it must be evaluated first. However, she proposed the idea of purchasing drones and increasing the number of border guards in Storskog to patrol the area.
In November 2023, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said that the country would close the border to Russia on short notice, if necessary.
Storskog is the only official crossing point into Norway from Russia. A 200-meter long (660-foot) 3.5-meter high (12-foot) high fence was constructed around it in 2016 after large-scale migration from Russia to Norway in 2015.
Norway is a member of NATO but not the EU. However, it is part of the EU’s Schengen area, which allows free movement among member countries.